It was early in the morning of a dull autumn day. The sun might have
risen a few hours ago, but it still was very cold. Huge dark clouds
hung over the South of the town, but above the sun cast its light on
the wet earth - there will be no rain in the next couple of hours and
the excecution can proceed as planed. A small crowd of people has
gathered on the execution hill a few hundred yards outside the city.
Some talk, while others just watch quietly the preparation at the place
was a young girl will soon die a horrible death.

"What has poor Mia done to deserve this?" One middle aged woman
asked, her exhalations creating a small cloud in front of her face that
soon disappears. Mia was a whore, working in the only brothel of the
town, a very beautiful lively girl to whom more than one man in the
town has lost his heart.

"She has attacked one of her 'customers' and was sentenced to death
by the so called court." the man beside her answered in low voice to
ensure the soldiers had no chance to hear him.

"But how come a whore is sentenced to death when she attacks someone?"

"Aye, this is really uncommon, normally nothing would happen, or it
would be over with a few public beatings, but this case is different.
She has attacked and seriously hurt one high-ranking soldier of the
royal army, I believe a captain. This act is as if she has attacked the
king or queen themselves and is considered the same as high treason and
for this there is only one punishment." he rubs his hands together to
keep them warm and continued "The soldier she attacked also accused her
of being a witch and being possessed by a demon. How else could such a
small girl she beat up a man a head taller than her and nearly double
in weight. There was some laughter in the courtroom, but the judge
remained hard. Also some of other soldier bore witness against her,
saying she used dark magic on their purses and left gold and one even
swears he has seen her fly on a broom around the city. The judge, the
leader of the army, found Mia guilty of sorcery and high treason and
sentenced her to be burned alive."

Of course it was far from true, the young girl was as innocent as a
whore can be. She was just a poor girl who had fallen into a sinister
trap. The occupation Soldiers just needed someone to be made into an
example and Mia was the person they had chosen for this position. When
the townspeople see this girl die in agony in the flames they will
think twice before speaking against, or even raising their hands
against the occupation forces.

"That is horrible," the woman said in a low voice.

The man looked around, but the soldiers who did the preparation
were to far away to hear them "I know, but there is nothing we can do",
he held her warm hand within his and fell silent again.

The soldiers had finished setting the stake deep into the muddy
earth. It was a fresh cut trunk of a tree from the nearby forest, with
a diameter a little less than a foot and around 6 feet high. One of
them tried to shake it, but it didn't move an inch. Satisfied the
leader mounted his horse and rode into the city to give word that the
preparations were complete.

More and more people gathered on the hill. Everyone in the occupied
town, from a simple farmer to the former mayor of the town, was held
there to watch this execution, to let Mia's fate be a warning to all of
then - Men, Woman and Children. Most of the watchers were driven by
fear what might happen when they did not follow the orders.

"They test the stake to make sure it will hold when the witch will
pull and haul against her bonds" one of the other watchers explained to
his neighbor. "I hope that beauty will burn long, not choke after a few
minutes because some drunk executioner use mostly green wood," the
other answered - Then they laughed together. Some simply enjoy the
torment and suffering of others, or were glad to have a few hours to
skip their daily grind of hard labor.

Some musicians begin to play their instruments and a few traders
offer their goods and food to anyone willing to pay, but most people
were not hungry. The hill was now crowded with hundreds of people, it
looked like everyone has followed the order to witness the burning of
Mia. Some higher-ranking soldiers of the occupation army took place in
the old and weathered royal box that was not used for some years. One
of them has claw marks in his face and wears a bandage around his head,
surely the one Mia had attacked and now for which she had to pay a high
price. The stake was surrounded by a circle of more than two dozen
soldiers with spears in their arms, nearly one hindered others arrayed
for full combat, armed with crossbows and swords waited around the old
royal box, ready to strike down any uprising as soon as it begins.

"There she comes!" a young woman shouts and points in the direction of
the city. A small donkey cart, escorted by 3 soldiers, moves slowly
along the road into the direction of the hill, a lonely girl sits on
her knees in the back. After all that has happened to her in the last
days Mia still looks pretty. When standing she is a little more than 5
feet tall, her long blonde hair frames her fair face and falls
downwards over her shoulder, nearly reaching her small breasts. Mias
hands were tied together in front of her, she holds them in an attempt
to cover her breasts, and because this rope is the only piece of
clothing she is allowed to wear. To make her last moments even more
humiliating, the occupation soldiers have decided to let her go to her
death nude. Some prudish men and women gasp and shield their eyes or
look away from the girl, but most of the eyes follow her on her way
towards the hill. Silent tears run down her face. She was shivering,
partly because of the terrible cold, and partly because of fear of what
will happen to her when the cart stops.

"Ye don't have to shiver sweetie, it will soon be warm enough" one
of the occupation soldiers yells as the cart passes him. "Yeah, burn
the bitch, aw, witch I mean!" The hill filled with roars of laughter,
not only from the soldiers. Some of the townsfolk also begin to fall
in: "Roast her slowly", "Burn witch burn!" they scream.

Suddenly a boy leaped out of the crowd, a long knife in his hand,
sprinting towards the cart. "Mia!" he yells. The surprised soldier in
front of the cart stumbled back and gripped his sword, but too late,
the boy was already past him. For a heartbeat a spark of hope
enlightened Mias face, she knew him, it was her little brother, but
when he pointed the knife at her heart she realized what he was about
to do. Still grateful Mia let her tied hands sink and closed her eyes,
waiting for the stab. The short pain when the cold metal penetrates her
skin slips through her ribs and then it will be over. But there was no
stab, instead a cry and something wet and warm hits her face.

When she opens her eyes again the boy is lying in the mud, red
blood pulsing out of his throat. "No, Robert, no!" Mia cries, but her
brother can't hear her anymore; he is dead. Killed by the soldier
standing over him, sword in his hand. "Ye have killed him! Thee
murderer! Murderer!" she shouted and made an attempt to stand up -
faster than she ever imagined the soldier turned around to her, his
left hand shoots forward and hits her hard in the face. Everything
turns black and Mia fell inside the cart. When she opens her eyes again
the right side of her face throbs with pain and slowly swells. The cart
was still in motion. When she finally managed to sit up she could see
it was now surrounded by guards and close to its destination. The
shouts from the crowd have stopped and silently watch the girl. Then
the cart stops.

The guards pull Mia roughly down from the cart. Her bare feet sink
into the muddy earth, as she is half pulled, half dragged to the stake.
She tries to resist but is far too weak. When she arrives at the pole
soldiers push her hard against it. The rough bark feels more than
uncomfortable. One of the soldiers unsheathes his dagger and cuts the
bindings on her hands, Mia at once tries to cover her pubic, but the
guards tear her arms away and pull them back behind the stake and tie
them with a small rope together again. "No please, release me, don't do
it" she begs. But the soldiers continue their cruel work with much
skill.

While two of the soldiers still hold her a third kneels down and
begins to sling another rope around her ankles, she can feel his warm
breath as he makes the knots. Mias body is shaking as she realizes the
fate she will soon meet, more tears run down her cheeks and still she
begs the soldiers, but they do not listen and continue the binding. A
thick manila rope is slung first around her legs, just under her dense
pubic hair, then around her waist. Finally the soldiers sling a black
chain around her chest. The cold iron feels very uncomfortable and its
cold links bite in her soft flesh just under her breasts and pushed
them slightly upwards.

As the guards begin to test the bindings, Mia looks around
woefully. The royal box is less than 10 yards in front of her, there he
sits, and the swine she had pushed away when he tried to take her with
force. He grins at her when he notices her look in his direction.
Hundreds of other people have gathered in front of her, on most of the
faces of the people she can see pity and compassion, even so with some
of the soldiers, but also she sees some with hatred and even lust.

Out of one corner of her eye she can see a cart, loaded with dry
wood arriving. More tears run down her face, but she has stopped trying
to beg them, she now knows it is the end. She moans as one of the
guards touches her breasts and another grubs through her pubic hair,
but she can’t move an inch. She fells as helpless as she looks. "Leave
her alone," says one of the soldiers, she tries to look at him, but he
refuses to look her in her eyes. He takes a wet cloth and gently
removes the dried blood on her face and also cools her swollen face a
bit "I am sorry" he whispers then turns back and disappears in the line
of the other soldiers.

The two soldiers who tested the bindings move to the cart with the
dry wood and began to pile it around Mias feet. They are carefully
sorted - thick branches in the center, and thinner in the outer areas.
Soon her pyre is piled up as high as her knees. The cart still has a
lot of wood inside, but the soldiers stop. Mia isn't even granted the
mercy of a huge pyre to shorten her suffering. "Such a waste" one of
them says as he turns back and leaves. Every eye is on the nude girl
tied to the stake, but Mia never felt more alone.

The soldier who killed her brother and hit her in the face slings
an oil soaked rag around a branch and sets fire to it with a flint
stone and steel. Mias heart beats more and more quickly, she looks
around in panic but no one will come to her help. Please, give me
strength and make it end fast she prays to the goddess. The leader of
the army climbs from the royal box and steps in front of the pyre and
announce with loud voice "Mia the whore, daughter of the whore Talitha.
You have been found guilty for the crimes of high treason and
witchcraft and sentenced to burn until nothing remains but ashes. Do
you have anything to say?"

"Please, don't burn me, I did not intend to hurt him, it was an
accident, I just wanted to push him away, he tried to rape me! I am not
a witch!" Even before speaking Mia knew that it wouldn't save her. "May
the gods have mercy on yer soul" he says, and then nods to the soldier
with the torch.

"No, please, don't do it ... no" she begs, but without hesitation
his torch touches the outer side of the pyre and the last sign of hope
vanishes from Mias face. The dry wood takes the fire immediately, the
soldier draws the torch back and leaves a small flame not bigger than a
fist, slowly growing as it licks upwards through the dry branches.
Small clouds of smoke rise, but dissolve after a few inches. He circles
around the pyre and ignites it in several other places, then lets the
torch fell down to the earth, his work is done.

"Here comes hotter kisses than any of yer lovers gave ye," an ugly
woman screams toward her. The fire has risen up to her knees,
encircling her completely, but is still not touching her. Mia squirms
in panic against the bonds, but can't move more than a few inches to
either side; the rough rope scrubs her soft white skin as she tries.
"Please, release me, I haven't done anything, I beg ye. Help me!" She
yells in panic. There is still time to extinguish the flames and
release her, but her pleas are in vain. The cold autumn morning was
forgotten, first it was pleasant warmth like a summer day, but within a
few seconds it became unbearable heat. Sweat gathers in drops on Mia's
forehead and runs down her body as the flames slowly feed their way
towards her.

Nothing is to hear beside the pleas of the condemned girl and the
crackling of the fire closing his cruel grip around her. Her nude
sweaty body shines inside the flames as if covered with oil, as the
fire casts its light against it. "No, help me" she begs while her body
still writhes in vain against the bindings. The ropes cut into her
wrists and small drops of blood run down, sizzling in the flames that
grow more and more. Thin pillars of bluegrey smoke rises and wraping
arround Mias body like silk, replacing her pleas with a long cough.
Every breath Mia takes hurts in her lungs but it is not enough to make
her dizzy. Finally a small breeze carries the smoke away from her, once
again leaving her nude body covered with nothing but the ropes, chain
and a few spots of soot. She feels the heat blistering her legs and
sear her pubic hair. "Help meeeeaaaaaaaaa!!" her words shifting to an
inaudible moaning. Not long after the fire reach her.

The first touch is a feeling as if thousands of hot needles stabing
into her feets and then pull the flesh from her bones, slowly moving up
her legs. A horrible, non-ending scream escapes her mouth. Some people
from the crowd silently took a few steps back. Mias soft white skin
reddened slightly where the fire has touched her longer as the hungry
flames creep upwards. Then they igniting her pubic hair and the orange
flames blaze over her stomach. Mia's voice tries to cast words out, a
final plea to end her suffering, to throw more wood in the fire, but
the rising agony only lets more wordless screams escape her mouth. Not
able to watch anymore a woman buries her face in the chest of a man
near to her. He slings an arm around her head and holds her tight, but
still keep his eyes on Mia. Other couples hold their hands tightly. The
ugly woman grins at Mia, her tongue slowly licking over her lips as she
watches the desperate struggles of the girl.

The fire continues to do its destructive work, accompanied by the
screams of the young whore. As planed it did not rise higher than her
bellybutton. Everything under her waist turns slowly into an
unrecognizable broken piece of black flesh. Her lower legs are hidden
inside the burning wood, but surely won't look better if they are still
intact. Her stomach is a mix of and red black flesh covered with
blisters and partly charred flesh. Her chest and breasts are covered
with soot, but still sink and rise when her lungs inhale the hot air to
keep her alive. On her once beautiful face there remains only a twisted
grimace of pain and terror, her past lively and cheerful blue eyes look
emptily into the air, her long blonde hair has melted in the heat and
sticks to her face. Everything blurs around her; her eyes can't focus
anymore. She hears nothing besides screams that seem to come from far
away.

She is dying; soon it will be over. Her cries of pain turn into a
weak moaning and then her head sinks forward. Nothing can be heard
beside the crackle of burning wood and the roaring fire that still
consumes the remains of the girl.

"She has fainted!" one of soldiers observed "Pour some water over
her to wake her up" another suggested. But the townsfolk cry, "No, make
an end of it", "Stop it, she has suffered enough", then they begin to
float to the cart with the firewood. The soldiers ready their weapons
and look for the royal box, but after a second of consideration the
leader shakes his head slowly, the well-trained soldiers understand. It
is enough; he has made an example the townspeople will not forget.
There is no need to extend the torment of the poor girl.

The soldiers retreat a bit and the crowd begins to throw more and
more firewood on the roaring fire. When the faggots hit the burning
wood, the flames dampen down for a short moment, leaving an unblocked
view of Mia's body. She is unconscious but still alive, her chest moves
slowly up and down. After 2 or 3 breaths the fire has grown to its old
size, touching her stomach, licking her breasts and after a few
heartbeats igniting her hair. Like an orange crown the dance flames
lambently in a playful manner on her head. Mias complete body is now
embraced in the fire, slowly turning from white to red and black, her
skin cracking open, becoming an unrecognizable black piece of flesh.
After a few minutes the chains that still hold the remains of her
corpse to the stake glow in a hot white against the blackness of her
body and the stake.

Mia the whore, the witch, the traitor; Mia the once beautiful girl
who has done nothing ill, is dead. Some people go back to their daily
work, others stay and watch the burning fire with the stake and its
occupant slowly felling apart. After 3 hours the fire has burned down
to embers, nothing remains but the charred pole, a black chain and pile
of gray ashes that is soon scattered by the wind.